Regulating device for combustible furnaces



Oct. 13, 1925.

` W. '-L. HIGGINS Rnsum'rma n svrc FOR COMBUSTIBLE FUnNAcas s sheets-sheet "'1 Filed Nov. 28, 1923,

Oct. 13, 1925- Filed Nov. 28, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W. L. HIGGINS REGULATING DEVICE FOR COMBUSTIBLE EURHACES Oct. 13'

Filed Nov. 28, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 S14/vento@ n Patented oa. 13, 1925-.

A' UNITED STA-Tes y 1,556,817 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. HIGGINS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

REGULATING DEVICE FOR COMBUSTIBLE FURNACES.

Application led November 28, 1923. Serial No. 677,549.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. HIGGiNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulating Devices for Combustible Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a device for regulating combustible mixtures, and the main object of the invention is to provide rfgulators for heating furnaces using oil as In order to obtain a suitable combustible mixture, steam has to be mixed with vaporized oil, and the present invention laims to furnish a regulatorfor the oil as well as for the water used to produce the steam.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

v which- Figure 1v shows a vertical section of the oil regulator;

Figure 2 is a plan view in partial section of both regulators;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the water regulator;

Figure 4 is a vertical section in larger scae of the valve used in the oil regulator; an

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the preferred form of the valve used in the water regulator.

In the drawings, refe-rence numeral 10 represents an oil receptacle, and numeral 11 a water receptacle placed side by side and preferably connected in one casting by means of a web 12. Referring particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 4, the oil receptacle is connected with a supply pipe 13 in its bottom and a line pipe 14. In the port 15 connecting with the supply pipe 13 is inserted a needle valve seat 16 in the form of a head bolt with a central passage and radiating apertures 17 through which the oil fed from the pipe.13 passes through the passage and the apertures into the receptacle 10.

In axial alinement with the valve seat 16 is slidably mounted in the cover 21 of the receptacle 10, a needle 18, the pointed end 19 of which is adapted to close the axial passage 2O in the valve seat 16. To the upper end of the needle is secured a sleeve 22, in which engages the inner ends of a pair o1 weighted levers 23 fulcrumed as at 24 in the depending bearing elements'25 carried on the under side of the cover 21. When the needle 18 is lifted by the pressure of the incoming oil, the levers 23 are slightly inclined in downward direction, as indicatedin Figure 1.

In the receptacle is carried a ioat 26 which is preferably provided with a central bore 27, through which the needle 18 passes so as to guide the iioat up and down in the receptacle. When the supply of oil is greater' than the consumption thereof, the level of the oil in the receptacle will rise and carry the float with it until the top of the latter contacts with the ends of the levers 23, which will then be compelled to rise causing their inner ends, engaging in a sleeve 22, to descend and push the needle point 19 down into its seat 16, thus closing the port through which the oil enters into the receptacle.

With the line pipe 14 is connected an auxiliary chamber 28, by means 0f an overflow pipe 29. In the bottom of the auxiliary chamber may be provided a drain plug 72. In this auxiliary chamber is carried a float 30 adapted to freely rise and fall therein and carrying a spindle 31 guided in the cover 32 of the auxiliary chamber. rIhis spindle engages the outer end of a lever 33 and is provided with a nut 34 for adjusting the connection between the float and the lever. This lever is fulcrumed as at 35 on top of the cover 21 and its short inner arm 36, terminating with a rounded end 37, is adapted to abut against the upper end of the needle 18.

In the bottom of the receptacle is provided a port 38 opening into the line pipe 14 and in which is attached a valve seat 39 of similar construction to that already described for the inlet port. Instead of having a blunt end as the valve seat 16, this valve seat l39 is preferably provided with a pointed tip 40. A needle 41 guided in a suitable bearing in the cover 42 over this end of the receptacle, engages in the valve seat 39 and is adapted to belifted by a spring 43. In the top of the cover 42 is fulcrumed as at 44 in a bearing 45, an actuating lever 46 for the needle 41. This lever is automatically operated by means of al cam disk 47 carried at the end of the shaft 48 of the motor 49. This disk 47 is circular and provided with a pair of diametrically running slots 50, by means of which its position can be adjusted by the securing screws 51 engaging in the end of the shaft llO f ply by closing the valve seat 16, oil will accumulate inthe pipe line 14 until it rises up to the overflow ipe 29 and starts to lill the auxiliary cham r 28. This will cause the float 30 to rise and the levers 23 to press down the needle 18 and close the port 15.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 2, 3 and 5, the water receptacle is shown at 11. This is considerably lar er than the oil receptacle and consists og a vertical cylinder 53 having a shallow rojecting pocket 54 at its upper end, th closed by a to cover 73 reaching across the same. At t e outer end of the pocket 54 is found a water supply pipe 52 o enin into a port 55. This port is provide wit a valve seat 56 in the form of a threaded plug secured in the bottom of the pocket. This plug has an upwardly extending shank 57 and a central bore 58 opening into the port 55 at its lower end and into the pocket 54 at its upper end. Over the shank 57 fits loosely an inverted cu 59, in the bottom of which is inserted a eather or rubber packing. The to end of the shank 57 being flat, it is evi ent that when the cup is seated on top thereof, the packing 60 will tightly close the inlet passage 58 for the water into the receptacle. The cup 59 has a p air of upwardly extending fingers 61 having a. transverse pin 62, upon which is pivoted a short arm 63 of an actuating lever 64, which is fulcrumed as at 65 in the sides of the pocket 54. This lever is preferably L-shaped having a. depending portion 66 reaching down into the cylinder 53. From this depending portion 66 is susended a water float 67 adapted to move l up and down in the cylinder. The shan. 68 for the water float is threaded and provided with adjusting nuts 69 for properly positioning the float in vertical direc.

tion in the cylinder.

At 70 is shown a pipe leading to the part of the .plant where the water is consumed and this pipe is so positioned that when the consumption of the water equals the suppl entering through the port 55, the float will remain near the bottom of the cylinder 53, thereby lifting the valve cup 59 to permit the freeentry of the water from the supply ipe 53 into the receptacle 11. Should owever, no more water be needed, the water level in the receptacle 11 would rise, bringingthe float 6 with it and closing the passage 58 by pressing the packing 60 in the valve cup 59 down tightly over the sleeve 57.

The side of the cylinder 53 may be provided with a sight glass 71 for observing the water level therein.

The advantage of using the inverted cup valve with a soft packing inserted in the bottom thereof to close the passage 58 in the shank 57 is evident. If water containing lime is used, sediments would ordinarily be deposited in the hollowed out valve seat using either a ball or a needle to close the'same. With such grit deposited in the valve seat, no matter how well the parts are ground together, the ball or the needle would be slightly raised out of the seat, permitting leakage at this point. In order, now, to insure tight closing of the valve, a soft packing is used in the bottom of the inverted cup 59. When this packing is pressed over the opening of the shank 57, the shank will be partly embedded in the soft acking, so that, even if some grit should ave collected on the thin ed of the shank, which is unlikely, this willenot prevent the tight closing of the valve. Thus no liquid could pass through the same.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: i

1. A regulator for oil comprising a reservoir having inlet and outlet ports, sa'id inlet port being connected with an oil supply and said outlet port o ning into a pipe line, a valve seat in sai inlet port having axial and radial passages for admitting oil into said reservoir, a needle fittin, said valve seat and adapted to close sai passages a float in the reservoir, a sleeve onsaid needle, a two-armed lever fulcrumed in the reservoir and engaging with said sleeve, said float being adapted to contact with said lever to depress said needle upon the oil in the reservoir rising above a predetermined level, and other means independent of said lever and sleeve controlled by the'liquid in the pipe line for seating said needle.

2. A regulator for oil comprising a reservoir having inlet and outlet pora's, said in let port being connected with an oil supply and said outlet port opening into a pipe line, a valve seat in said inlet port havin axial and radial passages for admitting oi into 'said reservoir, a needle litt-ing said valve seat and adaptedto close said passages, means for seating said needle to close said passages when the oil in the reservoir rises above a predetermined level, other means inde ndent of said first means for seating sai needle when oil backs up in said pi an auxi iary reservoir, an overflow pi tween said auxiliary reservoir and sai pipe line, and a float in said auxiliary reservoir, Said lloat being suitably connected with line, said other means including 1 said valve needle to close the same when the float rises.

3. A regulator for oil comprising a reservoir having inlet and outlet ports, said .inlet port being connected with an oil supply and said outlet port opening into a pipe line, a valve seat in said inlet port having axial and radial passages for admitting oil into said reservoir, a needle fitting said valve seat and adapted to close said passages, means for seating said ,needle to close said passages when the oil in the reservoir rises above a predetermined level, other means independent' of said lirst means for seating said needle when oil backs up in said pipe line, said other means including an auxiliary reservoir, an overflow pipe between said auxiliary reservoir and said pipe line, a float in said auxiliary reservoir, a rod secured on said float, and a two armed lever fulcrumedl on said receptacle, one arm of said lever contacting with said valve needle and the other arm of the lever being adiustably connected with said rod.

4. A regulator for oil comprising a reservoir having inlet and outlet ports, said inlet port being connected with an oil supply and said outlet port opening into a pipe line, a valve seat in said inlet port having axial and radial passages for admitting oil into said reservoir, a needle fitting said valve seat and adapted to close said passages, means for seating said needle to close said passages when the oil in the reservoir rises above a predetermined level, other means independent of said first means for seating said needle when oil backs up in said pipe line, a valve seat for said outlet port, a valve needle adapted to close the same, and still other means actuated from a source ot power for alternately opening and closing said outlet valve.

5. A regulator for oil comprising a reservoir having inlet and outlet ports, said inlet port being connected to the oil supply and Said outletport opening into a pipe line, a valve seat in said inletport having axial and radial passages for admitting oil into said reservoir, a needle fitting said valve seat, means for seating said needle to close said passages `when the oil in the reservoir rises above a predetermined level, other means independent of said first means for seating said needle when oil backs up in said pipe line, a valve seat for said outlet port and a valve needle adapted to close the same, an element normally holding said outlet valve needle unseated, a lever iulcrumed on said reservoir and contacting with said valve needle, and a revoluble member carrying an eccentrically mounted cam, said lever having an extension held in contact with said cam by said element.

6. A regulator for oil comprising-a reservoir having inlet and outlet ports, said inlet port being connected to the oil supply and said outlet port opening into a pipe line, a valve seat in said inlet port having axial and radial passages for admitting oil into said reservoir, a needle fitting said valve seat, means for seating said needle toy close said passages when the oil in the reservoir rises above a predetermined level, other means independent of said first means for seating said needle when oil backs up in said pipe line, a valve seat for said outlet port and a valve needle adapted to close the same, an element normally holding said outlet valve needle unseated, a lever fulcrumed on said reservoir and contacting with said valve needle, a revoluble member carrying an eccentrically mounted cam, said lever having an extension held in contact with said cam by said element, said eccentric cam including a circular disk having diametrically extending slots, and securing screws engaging in said slots for adjustablv mount1 ing said disk upon said revoluble member.

7. A fluid mixture regulating device comprising an oil reservoir having inlet and outlet ports, said inlet port being connected with an oil supply and said outlet port opening into a pipe line, a valve seat in said inlet port having axial and radial passages for admitting oil into said reservoir, a needle fitting said valve sea-t. means for seating said needle to close said passages when the oil in the reservoir rises above a predeter mined level, other means indepemlent of said lirst means for seating said needle when oil backs up in said pipe line, said Vrst means including a lioat in said reservoir, a sleeve on said needle, a two-armed lever fulcrumed in the reservoir and engaging with said sleeve, said float when rising being adapted to contact with said lever thereby depressing said valve needle, said other means including an auxiliary reservoir, an overflow pipe between said auxiliary reservoir and said pipe line, a float in said aux iliary reservoir, said l iatbeing suitably connected with said valve needle to close the same when the float rises, a valve seat for said outlet port, a valve needle adapted to close the same, an element normally hold ing said outlet valve needle unseated, a lever fulcrumed on said reservoir and contacting with said valve needle, a revoluble member carrying an eccentrically mounted cam, said lever having an extension held in contact with said cam by said element, said eccentric cam including a circular disk having diametrically extending slots, and securing screws-engaging in said slots Jfor adj ustably mounting said disks upon said revoluble member.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

WILLIAM t L. HIGGINS. lL SJ 

